1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid dispensers. Particularly, the present invention relates to the preservation and dispensing of wine, or any other desired fluids which may spoil upon exposure to environmental air, through the injection of pressurized, inert gas into the bottle of wine or other fluid container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Upon opening of a bottle of wine, the wine immediately begins to react with the environmental air and begins to spoil. Thus, if the entire bottle of wine is not consumed in one sitting, the exposure to air decreases the quality and value of the wine.
A wide variety of wine preservation systems have been used to delay this spoilage, with varying degrees of success. One such typical system is a vacuum pump incorporated with, or attached to, a rubber cork having a one-way air valve. In such a vacuum system, the user corks the bottle of wine and pumps out as much air as possible in an attempt to leave virtually no air within the bottle. Typically, thirty or more hand actuations of the pump are required to attain a minimal air pressure within the bottle. It should be noted that a perfect vacuum is impossible to achieve within the bottle. Thirty hand actuations of the pump represents substantial effort by a person hoping to preserve his or her wine, and would require an excessive effort in the hospitality industry, hoping to preserve wines sold by the glass. Even after thirty or more actuations of the pump, small amounts of air remain in the bottle and react with the wine. The time by which spoilage of the wine is postponed in a bottle preserved with a hand-actuated vacuum pump is generally unsatisfactory. Additionally, the vacuum in such a system can damage the wine by pulling volatile aromatic components out of solution, rendering the wine dull and “without a nose”. Motorized systems have been used to aid in the aforementioned pumping problem, however the repetitive detachment, reattachment, and activation of the pump is quite cumbersome.
Another typical preservation system utilizes an aerosol-style can to deliver pressurized gas into an opened wine bottle. The pressurized gas is typically a mixture of gases believed to be inert with respect to wine. Once the gas mixture is sprayed into the opened wine bottle, the wine bottle is re-corked to seal the inert gas mixture within. A typical gas used in the mixture is argon gas. Argon, however, cannot be kept in large quantities at the maximum pressure typically containable by an aerosol-style spray can. In addition, the delivery mechanism causes the gasses to overflow the opened wine bottle and escape into the atmosphere. A further problem with argon aerosol cans is that with every pour, air is drawn into the bottle, exposing the contents to air as the wine flows out. Further, the argon gas, while heavier than air, only provides a blanket for the time it takes for oxygen to diffuse through the argon layer. It should be noted that argon forms 0.94% of the Earth's atmosphere, and there is not a thin layer of argon blanketing the ground. Its concentration is uniform in the atmosphere. Another commonly used gas in such systems is carbon dioxide, which generally does not react with the wine in such a way as to affect the wine's flavor. However, the carbon dioxide is eventually absorbed by the wine so that the wine becomes lightly carbonated after a day or two. The resulting fizziness of the wine is distinctly unpleasant to wine connoisseurs.
Wine dispensing cabinets are also known in the art. Opened wine bottles are kept in a cabinet and are sealed with an inlet for non-reactive gas and an outlet for wine. The non-reactive gas is pressurized within the opened and sealed wine bottles so that wine is pressed out of the outlet by the gas pressure. Opening a liquid dispenser valve allows the wine to flow into a glass. The primary disadvantages of wine dispensing cabinets are expense and limited capacity. Such cabinets are plumbed to preserve and dispense a limited number of bottles of wine at any given time. Additionally, a relatively small dispensing cabinet takes up over five square feet of counter space for only eight bottles of wine. The price and space requirements of such a system are out of reach for most individual consumers. A further problem with such cabinets is that the bottles ensconced therein are not portable. When one receives a glass of wine from such a cabinet, there exists no way to examine the bottle beforehand, which may be of interest to customers in a bar or restaurant, especially if the per-glass price is high. A further drawback is that a plastic tube or other such delivery means is dropped into each bottle, thus tainting and contaminating the wine. Further, such cabinets require constant maintenance.
A common problem of all of the aforementioned devices and systems is that the user must pull the cork before any wine is dispensed, thus exposing the wine to an in-rush of atmospheric air, displacing the bottle atmosphere. Thus, a wine bottle sealing and dispensing device solving the aforementioned problems is desired.